The Laurinburg, North Carolina plant officially celebrated its 50th anniversary on April 6 and 7 with various activities, including plant tours, food, music, bounce houses, inflatable slides, mini golf and other fun games. Saturday was employee and retiree family day and Sunday was open to the local community.
The Laurinburg plant opened in 1973 as LOF (Libbey Owens Ford) and the first of two float lines at the site came online on June 4, 1973. The second float line came online on March 25, 1980 and there have been several upgrades and investments made over the 50-year-old history to install the latest float glass-making technology and other safety and operational improvements.
The site currently employs over 300 people and produces 320,000 tons of float glass a year in various colors, sizes, and thicknesses. Glass produced in Laurinburg is found in every corner of the world and has been used in many prestigious projects including the Empire State Building in NYC, Taipei 101 in Taiwan, and the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to name a few. Every day, glass produced in Laurinburg is used by millions of people whether by looking in a mirror, looking out a window, using glass as a tabletop, or with numerous other applications.
The employees and their families, retirees, and community members that came together to celebrate this momentous occasion made it very special. Here's to many more years of success and shared celebrations for the plant and its extended family!
